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Fragile States

Although the phenomenon of state failure is not new, it has become much more relevant and worrying than ever before. In less interconnected eras, state weakness could be isolated and kept distant. Failure had fewer implications for peace and security. Now, within a more interconnected global community these fragile states pose dangers not only to themselves and their neighbors but also to peoples around the globe. Preventing states from failing, and resuscitating those that do fail, are thus strategic and global imperatives. CIC has provided research in this arena, developed panel dicussions that have explored critical issues confronting failed states. CIC has also drawn on expertise from the practitioner, NGO, academic and UN communities, provided candid recommendations and potential solutions to the global threat that failed states present.

Related Publications

UN peacekeeping is increasingly under strain – over-deployed, heavily-mandated and under-resourced. This state of overstretch, coupled with continuing demand for new missions, presents a fundamental strategic challenge for the UN and its members. To adapt to the challenges facing peace operations, the international community must examine options for institutional improvements in UN peacekeeping as well as strategies for responding to emerging global trends.

These reports are part of a series of background documents prepared for the Commission on the Impact of Drug Trafficking on Governance, Security and Development in West Africa (WACD). The series editor is CIC Fellow Camino Kavanagh.

This paper, commissioned by the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the United Nations, analyzes current trends in United Nations peacekeeping and makes predictions about the development of UN operations over the next five years (to 2017).

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As the displacement of Syrians and other refugees in Turkey becomes increasingly protracted with no quick solution to the conflict in Syria in sight, overstretching the resources and capacities for the refugee response to its limits, formulating strategies and solutions to address the medium to long-term needs of refugees and host communities becomes increasingly vital.